Wednesday, February 27, 2008

During Prez's set, Olympia Police came in to the venue and arrested a black male, who was being accused by a white male of punching him and his friend during a fight outside the venue approx. 30 minutes earlier.... The local media, specifically [FOX affiliate] KCPQ-13, and [Cox Television affiliate ] KIRO-7 has been claiming on television that Prez told the crowd, in essense, to attack the police.

Grammy Award winning rapper Common is preparing for a busy 2008, as he readies two albums and a new global advertising campaign.

Common, born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, will be featured in Converse’s new advertising campaign celebrating the company’s 100th year in business.

The “Connectivity” advertising campaign, which rolls out around the world starting this week, features late legendary icons like James Dean, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson and the Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious.

“Converse is the footwear company that was first in sports and first in rock ‘n’ roll. We are extremely proud of our history and excited about our journey into the next century. Connectivity is an exceptional global campaign that fully captures our spirit and brand ethos celebrating true originals," said Geoff Cottrill, Chief Marketing Officer, Converse.

The advertising campaign will debut in over 75 countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Additionally, Common recently revealed that he is planning to release an EP, followed by a full length album before the end of the year.

The EP titled Invincible Summer, is due in stores this June.

The release conceptual release will deal with summer love and will feature production by The Neptunes, Just Blaze, Kareem Wiggins and others.

Common’s EP Invincible Summer will be followed by a traditional full length album titled The Believer.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Saturday, February 23, 2008

On March 8th and 9th of 2008, hundreds of established and upcoming producers will descend upon Phoenix, Arizona, to attend the annual One Stop Shop producer’s conference, masterminded by Sha Money XL’s production and artist management company, Money Management Group. The conference will feature top industry professionals, platinum track making producers, and new technology trends from companies like Microsoft, M Audio, and Traxxpad. It will also include an itinerary filled, video game tournaments, after parties hosted by NYC’s most noted DJs, and the infamous One Stop Shop Beat Battle. and most importantly the industry workshops/panels.

This year OSS features The Microsoft Technology Panel hosted by Arif Gursel, a software test engineer in the Microsoft XBOX team as well as The Power Management Panel which features Gee Roberson, Derick Jackson, Bernard Parks, Ryan Press and more. The 2008 One Stop Shop also boasts a Tastemaker Panel and a New Producer Panel; so it isn’t surprising that this conference has captured the excitement of producers that have constantly saturated the music game with their talent. “This is the conference for those that are serious about making real moves in the industry… You gotta love it!” - from Kanye West’s mentor, NO I.D.

The lineup for the 2008 OSS include producers; DJ Toomp, Swizz Beats, the legendary DJ Premier, Hi-Tek, DJ Quik, 9th Wonder, No ID, Trackboyz, and Nottz. This year, Money Management Group is honoring the works of Swizz Beats, famed for his unique production and his continuous ability to produce number one hits and Atlanta based Grammy winner DJ Toomp, known for his platinum selling hits with T.I and Kanye West. Other panelists include; Shalik Berry (Def Jam), Conrad Dimanche (Bad Boy), Jean Nelson (Atlantic), Lenny S., (Def Jam), Wendy Day, Chuck Creekmur (Allhiphop), Bonsu Thompson, Julia Beverly (Ozone), Juan Madrid (Sony ATV), Maani Edwards (Universal Publishing) and more. Young Buck, Lil Scrappy, Kurupt, Outlawz, Talib Kweli, and Riz are also slated to make appearances throughout the weekend. “This year is gonna be bigger and better. We’ve got the support of great talent and companies that share our vision.” - Kisha, MMG Marketing Director.

Over 700 producers from around the world attended the One Stop Shop of 2007. MMG had producers flying in from Africa, Bermuda, and the UK. “The future of the One Stop Shop is growth. I want this to go down in Hip-Hop history and be a major conference like Mixshow Power Summit, R&R, Sema or Midem. I want to continue to let new producers find their way through this industry and learn just who the key players are and what networking is about,” Sha explains. Money Management Group teaches producers and artists the importance of branding. “It is so important to brand yourself in today’s environment. You have producers dropping LPs like artists now.” Sha states. MMG’s conference has helped jumpstart the careers of last year’s Beat Battle finalists. “Since the conference I’ve had beat placement on both the Pac and Rick Ross albums” - Jiggolo, OSS Beat Battle Finalist.

Sponsorship for this year’s event comes from a variety of companies and components of the music industry; such as Xpoz Magazine, ASCAP, iStandard Producers, AllHipHop.com, Loud.com, Microsoft, Shade 45/Sirius Satellite Radio, Edios Traxxpad, Ozone Magazine, M Audio and Native Instruments.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Chicago music retail legend, George Daniels spoke out to Los Angeles radio station KJLH about the real reason why he and his wife, Regina, severed their 15-year ties with R.Kelly. Turns out the rumors were true, Daniels says they felt betrayed and disgusted when they found out that R.Kelly was having a secret affair with their college-age daughter, Maxine, right under their noses. R.Kelly even bought the daughter a car, which was confiscated by her parents. R.Kelly first met the daughter as a small child. (shiver) And George was R.Kelly’s closest advisor/father figure, while his wife served as his publicist.

George’s description of the affair is really sad, you can tell he and his family were torn apart by the deception……I’m actually pretty surprised how upfront he is about it.

“The reason that I’m talking abut this, it’s not just for me, it’s not for my wife, it’s not for my daughter, but it’s for the public. It’s for other fathers and mothers because it doesn’t have to be a superstar, it could be the dude on the corner. There are guys who sit around and give your child a couple of bucks to go to school and then wait until they get a little older, then they set that trap.”

Last Friday (February 8th), the small Central American nation of Belize officially elected its first black prime minister, Dean Barrow.

If the last name Barrow sounds familiar, it should because Dean Oliver Barrow is the estranged father of currently incarcerated New York rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow (who after converting in 2006 to Judaism renamed himself Moses Michael Leviy).

56-year-old Dean Barrow, a former foreign minister, was elected over the incumbent Prime Minister Said Musa. Barrow’s United Democratic Party (UDP) defeated Musa’s People’s United Party (PUP) in convincing fashion, winning 25 of 31 constituencies. Barrow’s victory was only the third defeat in 53 years for the PUP, who have dominated Belizean politics.

"It's a great feeling. I'm extremely grateful and humbled," Barrow told Reuters of his win.

A former lawyer of Palestinian descent, Musa’s popularity had faded in recent years amidst embezzlement scandals and other financial mismanagement. Barrow ran pledging to end this corruption.

A nation of just 300,000 wedged between Mexico and Guatemala, Belize gained its independence from the British in 1981. Known for its laid-back Caribbean vibe, Belize is comprised of a diverse cultural mix of indigenous Maya, Mestizos and African-descended Creoles and Garifuna.

Tall and easy-going like the people of Belize, Dean Barrow sports a shaven head, making his appearance uncannily similar to that of his son. The former Bad Boy and Def Jam recording artist who was sentenced to 10 years for weapons possession and first-degree assault after the infamous December 1999 shooting at Club New York, Shyne is rumored to be released from prison sometime this year. When he is released it is also rumored that he will be joining his father in Belize as part of the first family. If true, this would mark a drastic shift in the relationship between father and son, as it has been previously reported that Shyne was raised by his mother in Brooklyn after his father refused to claim him, an event Shyne confirmed via “Quasi O.G.,” a track on his most recent release, 2004’s Godfather Buried Alive: “Imagine, grow'n up and never havin/Faggot ass pops actin like you never happened.”

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

"It wasn't a hostile thing," he explained on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. "I was with L.A. last night. We still gonna continue to work on [projects], just not [with me] as the president of Def Jam. But everything is sweet."

I got a chance to catch up with Los Angeles-based emcee Geo Brown, who is a strong part of the "New West Movement" that is taking over Southern California's underground hip-hop scene. Geo has been working hard behind the scenes with Noni Spitz, Bishop Lamont, and several other artists in the fluorishing rap community that is known as the South Bay.

Crooked Straight: There's a lot of people that have been watching you closely since you started doing shows and appearing on mixtapes. What should we look for in the near future from you?

Geo Brown: I stay working. I'm currently putting the finishing touch on my street album titled "No Fall Back," which is an original production based project. The title is true to life for me. For me to say "No Fall Back" is me saying it's 'this or nothing,' not saying that I'm not capable of anything else but this is where my heart is. The project is gonna be crazy, I got some real fresh features on it. I got my boy Mykestro, Stressmattic of the group Federation, Mike Ant, Chevy Jones, and a few others. I really wanted to collab with artists that would compliment my overall theme to my album. I'm not with just doing a song with an artist just to say I did a song with them so everybody complimented the record they were featured on. Also, I recently did a song on the Tupac Assassination Soundtrack to the Tupac Assassination Movie. That's out in stores everywhere and on iTunes Music. I also did a song on my boy Bishop Lamont's Caltroit Metropolis dropping soon. I'm scheduled to drop a mixtape titled "Back To The Future" thats gonna be me and my big homie Noni Spitz. "No Fall Back" is scheduled to drop mid-spring towards the summer. So look out for all that.

Crooked Straight: It sounds like you've been moving with a lot of the right people. Are there any other artists that you have been working with besides the ones you just mentioned?

Geo Brown: I got success and progress on everything planned for 2008, I really wanna see my company IGM (Infinite Grind Movement) really take off. Theres a lot of things me and my crew wanna see happen. I wanna focus on seeing the west coast progress and do big things. Its been a long time coming but the time is now. Just trying to make money out of music. Fuck working a nine-to-five!

Crooked Straight: You say that it's been a long time coming for the west coast. How do you feel about the overall health of the hip-hop game right now?

Geo Brown: Man, hip-hop is on life support. I can get off on so many issues right now but I would rather speak on it briefly and keep pushin'. Basically there is too much of one element in the game. It's okay to have your dance records, it's okay to have your street records, it's even okay to have your non-rappin' lame records, but at the moment there is just one big category of generic music. Only one region has a light, thats not a good look at all. And I'm not just saying that because I'm from the west coast, but damn...I mean don't you think there is plenty of talent in other places? What, the east coast stop having dope lyrics? Did the west stop making real street, true-to-life, good sounding music? No. But they wanna make it seem so. Anyway, I think all of that is the problem, too many songs about the same thing. No diversity. The labels have lowered their standards to make a buck.

Crooked Straight: I feel what you're saying, and I agree that the game seems stagnant right now but how can hip-hop music pull itself out of this state of mediocrity?

Geo Brown: I think the fans of hip-hop need to demand more. Don't settle for this garbage that you're being oversaturated with. Take a stand against it, request that real shit. Get in tune with the underground scene, a lot of people hear the word "undergorund" and get turned off. There's all types of underground music, it just means these are the undiscovered talents that don't have major deals or deals period. Understand that 'good music is good music.' Give these up-and-coming artists a chance. Coming up on the west coast is hard because everybody does this (raps) and really shouldn't. When they hear your music its never "Damn this is dope," it's more like "Man, who did that beat? Aye, I rap too." So that gotta stop.

Crooked Straight: So what differentiates yourself from other emcees? What are you doing to get ahead of the pack?

Geo Brown: I never do anything else but music, no matter where I am I think about a line to put in a song or I'm thinking of a hook. When you draw from inspiration you never stop. When I'm not focused on either of those two, well I'm thinking of different ways to market myself. I might go out or even hit the club but I'm getting to know the owner and the DJ's to do a show or something.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Luke is getting his own show "Parental Advisory" on VH-1. This should be classic.

Parental Advisory showcases the diversity in my life. One day I am with my kids, the next day I am in the office auditioning ‘Luke Girls’ and the next day I might be out on the road. They tested Parental Advisory in focus groups and it was one of the most popular shows. It’s similar to the Osbournes, but I think it’s better and more entertaining.”

Friday, February 8, 2008

Thursday, February 7, 2008

This is a good song (mad replay value and it's actually about something), thanks mainly to John Legend and an odd combination of artists. Nas kills his verse but sounds a bit off-beat. Wayne is up and down as usual.

Quote: “I’ve been loyal….and its hard to be down with somebody when there’s no communication….It makes me feel like ‘what’s going on?’ There’s a video, everybody’s there, and there’s no Buck. Or you see your man moving overseas, on tour with the camp, with G-unit. Or you go to Thisis50.com and you see G-unit pictures is there, without Buck’s face…and then there’s no communication so I don’t really understand why…”